 | Year 11 and 13 photographs Year 11 and 13 photographs Mrs. Tabitha... Read more... |
 | International Women`s Day St. Francis` College supporting Women for... Read more... |
 | Choir Tour of Belgium Choir Tour of Belgium, 11 – 13 February... Read more... |
 | Badminton National Schools Finals Badminton National Schools Finals The... Read more... |
|
The College is delighted to announce that from summer 2012 Super Camps, the very experienced provider of Multi – Activity Day Camps will be operating at the College for five weeks during the summer holidays. Besides Multi – Activity days, using the College`s facilities to offer a huge range of 40+ activities across Sports, Arts and Crafts, they will also run their “A Passion For…” courses in Dance, Stage and Food. Check out their web site, by placing your mouse over the logo to see what is on offer this summer. |
Welcome to St. Francis' College
I like to think of St. Francis` College as Hertfordshire's best kept educational secret. As Headmistress I take great pride in the ethos and values of our College, it is always pleasing to have others affirm that what we hold to be important is actually taking place in practice. The ISI inspections which began in December 2010 confirmed our achievements in meeting our academic aims saying “pupils' overall achievement is excellent” and “across all subjects pupils are articulate, work enthusiastically and achieve high standards”. Our academic aims have been reaffirmed in the recently published Daily Telegraph league tables which ranked St. Francis` 27thin the country out of all 2,100 independent senior schools. A fantastic result for both girls and the staff which makes us, not only one of the leading schools in the country, but the top girls` school in Hertfordshire. What especially pleases me is that we can achieve this academic level without sacrificing any of our extra curricular programme of music, sport, drama, dance and art.
Teaching classes remain small, ensuring every girl receives individual attention to fulfil her potential. It is not just GCSE results that are excellent we had a 100% pass rate at both A level and GCSE. At A level over 65% of all exams taken were graded A* or A with 40% of girls getting straight A grades in all of their three or four A level exams. In GCSEs 69% of all examinations were passed at A* or A grade. Well done girls!
Education is not just about academic endeavour, despite being a medium sized school we have county, regional and national team representatives in sports such as badminton, tennis, athletics, hockey, netball and swimming. The girls excel in a range of performing arts dance, drama and music from choirs to orchestras to rock bands. The art department covers a wide range of disciplines from drawing, painting and sculpting to photography.
St. Francis` College is a distinctive school, possessing a remarkable charm. Many visitors say that we “feel different”. We believe this is because our founding traditions continue to reinforce the values that lie at the heart of our community: academic rigour, trust, respect, integrity and responsibility.
In our life and work, in the care we give and receive, there is a noticeable unity of purpose. Our girls call it “a St. Francis` thing”, meaning that even if you are busy, you will always make time for others, demonstrating unending patience, kindness and support. Our founders called it: “One heart, one soul”.
I like to say that we are small enough to make a big difference. This is witnessed by the fact that 9 girls from the last three years are currently studying at either Oxford or Cambridge, that is one in eleven pupils.
“… life is happy, vibrant and inclusive where achievement in all areas is encouraged and celebrated”, (ISI), any Head would be proud to read this of a College they lead, but as a parent of a girl at the College I was filled with pride twice over.
D. MacGinty (Mrs)
Headmistress